Grown Up
by Nikki-SlytherinSnake
Summary: Its the first of September and Hogwards open up for another year..only this time the Trio isn't going back. This time..they're GrownUp.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay guys...so i've few stories and somewhere a long that came with my own! xD Im pretty new to this so just say what ya think! :) **

Ron Weasley was harshly woken up from his then peaceful sleep. "Ronald! Get up! Don't make me go up there" _What time is it? _"Hurry Up! You're going to make your sister late! Never in your life were you late, stop being selfish and GET. UP." _Blah blah blah..does she ever stop? _

"RONALD" the screams were enough to get Ron onto his feet and notice the time – 6.30. _Why the bloody hell is she waking me up at this time?_ There was nearly four hours until Ginny Weasley, the youngest of the Weasleys, was leaving for her last year in Hogwards. After the fall of Voldemort everyone returned to Hogwards the year after. That was last year.

Ginny was already sitting at the table, her red hair put up into a messy bun, from her expression obvious she was just as exhausted as Ron. Not looking at his mother Ron dared to ask "Mum, it takes 10 minutes to get there..you know that right?" surprised at the sudden wave of courage he looked up in the direction of Molly Weasley. Molly was not a woman you would want to cross. She never was and now, with the death of her husband everything was getting progressively worse.

"Em mum wants us to take muggle transport" yawned Ginny, slightly disgusted, when she noticed her mother had no intentions to reply to her brother. _Muggle transport. Muggle bloody everything._ Ever since Arthur passed away, little over a moth ago, Molly was obsessed with doing as much as she could the 'muggle way'. No one dared to object. In fact, no one was left to object. George and Fred left as soon as they could and Ginny was now leaving too. _I wont be able to handle this on my own_.

* * *

><p>Hermione's alarm read 8.04 when she woke up. Usually on this day she would be running around the house with that strange old feeling. An unusual mix of sadness and excitement. Now, the excitement part was gone. There is nothing she looked forward to this year.. <em>It's never going to be the same.<em> At this realisation she felt a tear silently roll down her cheek..she wasn't ready for this. She laid on her bed, as she had those seven years ago, silently listening to her mum walking about downstairs and dreading the thought of leaving them.

With a heavy sigh she got up. Walking downstairs she hugged her mother and kissed her goodbye. It was different before, all those years she was leaving her parents to be with her friends..now she was leaving both her friends **and** her family. _Well technically she wasn't leaving them, they were leaving her.._ she thought to herself bitterly. Shrinking her bags she smiled, _well I wont miss everyone. _No, not them. She was sure as hell she wont be missing Pansy Parkinson. Or Blaize Zabini. Nor Draco Malfoy. None of those slimy, pitiful, useless gits from Slytherin. Its not the constant name-calling that bothered her. She's somehow gotten used to it. Up until fifth year she ignored them..after that she didn't even care. What bothered her was their attitudes. The pretending. Cold, almost icy heart. But she held no grudges, sure it was them that helped he develop her confidence. Hermione Granger was no longer the timid, unsure girl she used to be..she grew stronger. The war has changed her. _The war changed everybody._

* * *

><p>"Bloody hell" 15 minutes, standing in the rain and abnormal cold just waiting on a bus..a bus? <em>I didn't go to Hogwards for 7 years so I can use muggle transport.<em> Before Ron had a chance to think about the consequences he grabbed his shivering sister by her elbow and dragged her behind the bus stop. "Fuck this, we are leaving" He grabbed his now thankful looking sister and her ungodly amount of luggage and apparated with a loud crack.

Of course Harry Potter had his own flat. He left his so-called-relatives as soon as he turned 17. Even though Molly always made him feel more than welcome he felt that he needed his peace, especially now. The clock read 8.20 when Ron and Ginny suddenly showed up in the middle of a small and cosy living room. "Merlin, I could have still been in bed" Ginny mumbled as she walked upstairs. _Yea, tell me about_.

_Mmm he always looks good when he's asleep_. With his hair messed up over his eyes and half naked firm torso. Quickly checking Ron didn't follow her, she slipped into his room and closed the door behind her. _Wow_. Ever so lightly she sat down beside him and touched his skin. _Oh how_ _I'm gonna miss him_. Moving her fingertips down his chest she felt him twitch underneath her touch. Without thinking Ginny slowly ran her hand down under the red silk sheets and traced her fingers along his hard as rock shaft. A soft moan escaped her lips as she felt the wetness spread in between her warm thighs. The urge to touch herself was overwhelming. The urge to touch him was even worse.._do I dare?_ Closing her eyes she lightly rolled the tip of his stiff cock between her fingers. _Oh. God._ A sleepy groan snapped her back into reality and forced her to open her eyes. _Oh Merlin he's waking up_.

With no time to think she got down on her knees and silently slipped underneath his bed. _I held his dick..held him._ Her growing obsession with her brother's best mate was getting out of hand, even Ginny had to admit so. Not like anyone else knew. She wanted him..so desperately. Closing her eyes once again she brought her fingertips up to her mouth and let the slowly slide down over her small breast. _What would it feel like if he touched me?_ Would I live past the pleasure? She imagined him touching her..licking her every night. It was so unbelievably good then she can't even begin to imagine the pleasure he could bring her. _If he wanted._ Having to bite her lip hard to stop her from moaning, she realized her fingers found their way underneath her panties, uncontrollably moving back and forth.


	2. Could this get any worse?

Hermione Granger found herself right outside the massive building. Everything was so still, she could hear herself breathing. Shaking slightly, she walked towards the mahogany door as quietly as she was capable of, her step echoing in the silence.

Automatically she run her hands over her robes and opened the door quietly.

_Whoa_. The contrast of the inside and outside of the building was shocking._It's like stepping from dead to alive_. Of course Hermione was in the Ministry of Magic before, but never when it was considered 'peaceful'. The ministry has changed since the end of the battle. The entrance through the red phone box was now disabled due to increased protection measures against death eaters. Instead, Hermione had to walk into a subway and through a long dark 'blind end' corridor, similarly to the King's Cross Station.

No one noticed her. Everyone was running around laughing, exclaiming and chatting happily, stocks of paper in their hands. 'Hiya there' Hermione only smiled politely in the response to the strangely familiar, middle-aged witch.

Conscious and taken aback by the liveness of the small room she took out her letter.

Dear Miss Granger,

I will be happy to provide you with employment and providing your circumstances I have personally picked a place for you in one of the offices in the Department of Magical Law Enforcements,

You will start on the 1st of September.

Please meet Garius Tomkink at the reception at 9.00.

p.s. Good luck.

Kingsley Shacklebolt.

_Right, reception at nine. Its 8.58. Good._ Nervously she made her way towards the long series of desks. 'Em I'm looking for, umm, Garius Tomkink' _Never heard of him before._ 'Have a seat' smiled the young man and gestured towards the small red seat. What did he mean by 'good luck'?

'Hi Harry' was the first thing Harry Potter heard as someone threw themselves around Harry's neck. 'I haven't seen you in so long!' Pushing the person away from him, his lips strayed apart in shock. 'Wow. Em Hi' _she hasn't changed one _bit. 'You look stunning' _Idiot_. She gave him a faint yet charming smile. 'I should have expected you here…everyone was saying you'd get into the advanced level auror group.' One step closer 'you're an amazing wizard' _Well you're amazing_ he thought, pretty sure his mouth replied something like 'thank-you'

Not trusting his knees he slowly sat down on the nearest chair, only half listening to her constant chirping. Harry had no idea she was going to be here…but guessed it made sense…she was always really smart and proved very talented_. I wonder why Hermione hasn't applied to study for auror_. On other hand he was relieved. They were kept safe. And Ron wouldn't handle it. Ron wasn't even accepted…since an accident last year ministry chose carefully who they allow in. Luckily he was offered a place in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes on the third floor. Hermione worked in an office in the department of Magical Law Reinforcement, similar to the job of auror but possibly less dangerous.

The beautiful creature next to him stared at him quizzically. _She's asked something, didn't she. Damn_.

'Hermione Jean Granger' Hermione jumped at the loud mention of her name. 'Y-yes' A tall, older man approached her, his expression bored and uninterested. 'Pleasure to meet you. My name is Garius Tomkink and I will be introducing you your work at the ministry of magic. Leave the questions to the end.' Hid grey hair was pushed back from his wrinkled face and his eyes pierced everything around him. _Well he looks like he doesn't want to be here either_. At once he turned around and walked towards a big red door. _Great, he clearly likes me_. Sighing heavily Hermione followed the man who now was standing inside a lift tapping his foot impatiently and giving Hermione a scolding look. As soon as the door closed, suddenly all the noise stopped. _Peacefulness_. _I'm beginning to like this_. Mr Tomkink started mumbling something under his breath, his voice so filled with boredom Hermione stopped listening.

The door was at the end of an endless seeming hall, with few doors along it. _This is the Department of Magical Law Reinforcement then._. Walking along the hall Hermione noticed most of the doors lead to offices. One to auror quarters and practise rooms. _With some luck I'll see Harry around_! Garius finally stopped and taking a deep breath reached to open one of the doors when a tiny girl burst through the door giggling. Seeing Hermione her expression turned cold, giving her a dirty look as she turned around and slowly, confidently walked down the hall.

_What the hell? Who was that?_ Hermione looked at Garius in confusion but found that he had already walked in. By the time she entered the room he was already on his way out. 'Good luck' He whispered quietly, his expression softening for a brief moment. _Oh Merlin this is getting worse and worse_. The room was silvery grey with a small polished table, coffee table and a tiny window. The walls were covered with shelves and drawers which lacked any order. Faintly she remembered something like 'Sort everything out first, no one's worked there in ages' She took a handful of papers reading through them blankly. _Records and personal files_. The opposite wall was covered with books. _Perfect_.

She's gonna get through this just fine. Yes, it wasn't what she wanted to do but…It'll have to do. The only reason Hermione took this job is to earn enough money to pay for a further education and training to become a heeler. With a year or so here, she will have enough money to start in St Mungos.

Carefully emptying one of the drawers she chocked on the amount of dust coming out of it. _I'm pretty sure this couldn't get any worse_. Hearing a chuckle, annoyed at whoever ran this office, Hermione spun around to face them. 'Granger' _I was wrong_.

'Harry Potter and Cho Chang' came a voice from behind a closed door. To avoid any further embarrassment Harry marched towards the door and swung it open. 'Kingsley!' After receiving a half serious glare he corrected himself 'Em, Minister, sorry'

Kingsley Shacklebolt was the new minister of magic thought Harry knew him from years before when he worked for the order of Phoenix. 'Looks like you've skipped a few years of education, didn't ya' he winked at him._ Yeah and I'm not sure it's a good idea...what if I won't be able to keep up with the rest of them? _Due to his performance in the last battle Harry Potter has earned respect from many older and successful aurors and was offered a quick training and then an immediate place in the group of aurors.

It was known that a new group was founded either a follow-up by few former death eaters or completely new protest organisation. Kingsley as well as being a minister was the head of aurors. With the death of Lupin, Tonks and many more aurors there was an increased demand for able witches and wizards. Knowing that, Kingsley decided to allow Harry to skip most of the schooling; however that didn't mean he didn't have to do the exams. They were due half-way through this year, most likely in May along with all the other examinations.

As for Cho, her father is also an auror and therefore spent a lot of time on his daughter's education. Cho Chang passed the theoretical exams before summer and was now due to finish the rest of them in May, same as Harry.


	3. Chapter 3

'Malfoy?' _this has to be a bad dream. _

'It's Mr Malfoy now Granger' he hissed before triumphantly smirking 'what a lovely surprise..'

_How on earth has Kingsley through this would be a __good__ idea? I can't do this..  
><em>'Forget it ferret boy' Hermione spat in disgust as she turned around to leave the room.

'Now now Granger, don't do anything you might regret' Smirking he walked towards her slowly. 'We both know you need the money? This won't be too bad, don't get your knickers in twist.' _That god damned smirk again. Oh how I hate that post twat. What is he doing here anyway? He doesn't need to work. _

Before Hermione got a chance to ask him anything he briskly walked towards the door, elegantly stumbling through the endless piles of sheets and boxes. 'Good. Now clean this place up, instructions are on my desk' Without another world Draco Malfoy silently closed the door behind him leaving a wide opened-mouthed Hermione standing in the middle of the room. _Asshole. _It took all of Hermione's willpower not to chase after him and hex him to oblivion.

_I'm not letting him get to me. I'll live through the year here and then I'm gonna get the hell outta here.  
><em>Getting over the shock of seeing and the circumstances under which she saw Draco Malfoy again she slowly walked towards the black shiny door leading to his office. _His office. HIS. _Wondering why on earth did Malfoy work for ministry anyway since he probably had enough money to buy the whole place she opened the heavy door. _He couldn't possibly be qualified enough to run anything at the ministry. _Then again…was there anything he couldn't afford to buy? _No, Kingsley wouldn't allow that...would he?_

His room was surprisingly tidy and organised. The walls were lined with green and silver sating sheets and a very expensive looking, deep green almost black carpet was covering the floor. _How typical. _There was a big window opposite of the door and the side walls were mostly lined with plans, maps and photographs which looked like they belong to a previous owner. Beside a beautiful stone fireplace, in the middle of the room, was a black, polished desk with almost nothing on it. A portrait of his mother and father and one of him and Pansy Parkinson were carefully placed on each end of the shiny table. A heavy paper holder in a form of a large angry looking snake was holding down a single piece of parchment, the only one on the desk.

**_Granger,_**

**_Sort your office out, it's a mess._**

**_Do a list of all the books. Try not to read them before you're finished._**

**_Sort out the paperwork._**

**_I like my coffee black, with only one sugar._**

**_Wear something worth looking at._**

**_Yours Faithfully,_**  
><strong><em>Draco Lucius Malfoy.<em>**

_Wear something worth looking at? Stupid git, I'm not dressing for his pleasure. _Angry she stumbled clumsily back into her 'office'. _I'll show him. _Taking her wand out and waving it few times the walls changed a colour to light peach and the drawers were quickly getting emptied. Their messy contents were being sorted carefully on the small wooden desk, according to similarity. _Great I'll look at those later. _

The bookshelf was magnificent. Strong, light-coloured wood was supporting the heavy books, each shelf marked with a tiny black heading suggesting the genre of the books. Picking up the first book off the floor, she smirked. _Of course, why am I surprised – 'The darkest of Dark Magic' seems like Malfoy's left his bible in this mess. _The big black book didn't fit into any of the shelves other than the very top one. Beside that went History of Magic, Hogwarts a History and The Medical Remedies for Healers. The rest of the books very significantly smaller and lighter, fitting into the pre-selected categories printed onto the shelves. Herbology, Poisons&Potions, Occlumency and Legilimency, general spells, Fiction, Self-defence, the diaries of the Ministry of Magic…

As much as Hermione dreaded to admit it Malfoy was right. She could hardly wait to sit down and dive into a book. They had the familiar old smell to them. The secrets of becoming an Animagus looked particularly interesting. Hermione had never been able to lay her hands on a similar book. Hermione has doubted she'd be allowed to read it without the permission of the Ministry of Magic first. _Then again, Malfoy has 'The darkest of Dark Magic' lying around. That's bound to be forbidden. _

The piles of papers were mostly records and information on witches and wizards with a criminal record or former death eaters, aurors, special permissions. Mostly empty or half-filled pages. After carefully putting everything in its place and labelling their positions she was finally done. _Phew and it's not even 4 yet. _Making herself a coffee she sat down and decided to spend the last half an hour reading 'The secrets of becoming an Animagus'

Ron Weasley sat on the smoke and fire whiskey filled sofa, his head spinning and eyes blurring. _Bloody hell I must have over done it last night, Harry's gonna kill me._ After dropping Ginny off at the King's Cross station Ron went straight back to Harry Potter's flat. His mother was unstandable. On one hand he pitied her being alone…Ron of all people knew how bitter loneliness felt. On the other hand…it was her bloody fault no one can stand being around her for more than a second. _We all miss him the same. _Pulling an empty bottle from in-between the sofa he groaned and got up.

Harry's flat was a rather small and simple one. It consisted of the living room, a kitchen, bathroom and small bedroom. The living room was the smallest room there. The small squared room contained a sofa, magically enhanced tv, bar cabinet and a fireplace. Kitchen had a table and few cupboards. Sometimes Harry kept an anti-hangover potion along with the rest of the different substances. Ron opened the cupboard and reluctantly closed it. _Why doesn't he have the bloody bottles labelled? _

A silent popping noise came from the living room. 'Who's that?' Nothing. 'Harry is that you?' Ron panicked slightly when the lights went out. _No one could possibly be here…Harry has place charmed against unauthorised apparition. _'Stop fooling around Harry' Light steps circled him quickly, tackling him to the ground and biting his neck. Ron jumped up and stumbled to find the switch. 'Hermione! You scared the hell out of me' _What a bad joke. _She jumped up and slowly walked towards him, almost seductively. 'Well sor-ry' _One button, Two buttons. _After seeing Ron's solid expression she took her hands down from her robes 'what's wrong with you lately?' 'Nothing. Get out'

Hermione stood in the middle of the room red faced. 'Ronald don't talk to me like that. You've been drinking again, haven't you' _Ah not this again. _'You're not my mother I said .' a short a 'fine' came out of her mouth, her lips barely moving and then she spun around disappearing from the small room.

_Oh Merlin._ Ron fell back on the sofa as the sudden wave of realisation hit him. _Did she actually just cry? _He ran his big hands through his hair. _I need a shower. _

It was 6.30 when Harry Potter apparated back to his flat. 'Ron, you still here?' Nothing. He found him sleeping on the sofa with 'Magical Hour' playing on the tv. Sighing he turned it off and roughly shook his arm. 'Wake up Ron' He half-shouted excitedly and shook him again. Ron protested loudly as Harry walked towards the cabinet and took a small sparkling green bottle out of it. 'Drink this' immediately, Ron's head felt clearer and the nausea disappeared. _That's really useful stuff..i better get someone to teach me how to make it. I wonder if Fred and George sell these. _'What's up Harry?' 'Its 6.35, I only got home there now and all you say is what's up? You'd make a terrible mother' Smirked Harry as he turned the tv back on. 'Bloody hell its half 7 already? Where have you been wasn't today just an introduction or something?' Ron's been trying hard to remember what Harry has told him about his auror lessons, even though the truth is he hardly cared. Lately he hardly cared about anything. 'yea, yea but guess who I met?' Harry blinded by his excitement he took absolutely no notice in the state the room was in. 'Ehm I dunno, Voldemort?'_Could he look more bored?_ 'Very funny Ron…no, Cho' Ron's forehead crapped as he tried hard to look both concentrated and bothered.

'Who's that?' he asked sheepishly.  
>'Cho Chang Ron. Like the most beautiful girl in Hogwarts? The one I almost went out with?' Harry, now annoyed at his best friends' lack of tact, got up and was pacing to the kitchen. 'Wouldn't hurt you if you paid a bit of attention once in a while.' Fixing himself a light dinner he sat down at the small table and sighted sleepily.<p>

A bane of ginger hair appeared in the door frame 'Sorry Harry. I'm knackered. How was it?' Harry lifted his head to see a half guilty looking Ron giving him a smile, looking genuine. 'You did much eh?' No smirking he poured himself a glass of fire whiskey. _I wish I knew what's bothering him. It can't be just Arthur's death. He seemed more 'ok' at the funeral then he does now. _'Nah just grabbed a coffee and caught up on stuff. We're working together' at the mention of work Ron screwed his face a little and gulped down the rest of his glass. 'Good stuff. You'll see loads of her then' He smirked again before nodding Harry good night and walking upstairs. _I better talk to Hermione. _

The cold droplets of water made him shiver. _Damn Ron for using up all the water again. _Too lazy to get out and warm it up Harry decided to stick up and drift away to the events of earlier on.

'That is it for today. Tomorrow you will both start at nine a.m. in my office. Don't be late.' Kingsley smiled and closed the door behind him, leaving the room. 'I actually can't wait, this is gonna be so good' Cho jumped excitedly and childishly clapped her hands together. After spending two and a half hours with her, Harry finally managed to feel at ease around her. She always had a weird effect on his body. Not in the way everyone was describing. No butterflies, no weakness. But he definitely wasn't himself. 'Em, do you live in London? If you're not in hurry wecouldgrabacoffeeorsomething' _Stupid_. 'I live with my parents, in France. But sure, we can catch up' Another smile.

Harry smiled to himself as the cold water poured down his body. Of course she lived in France. She could apparate here in minutes. Now that they'll be working together things will be easier. There's nothing stopping him now. Getting out of the shower he listened to any noise suggesting that Ron is still awake. Nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione Granger has landed in front of the Leaky Cauldron, her eyes wet with tears. _Asshole. How can he keep doing this to me? How can I let him keep doing this to me? _It didn't take long to notice that something was seriously wrong with Ron Weasley.

It has been a known fact that the popular pair Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were dating. Sort of dating, really. _Yeah, sort of. Not really. _Walking in she only managed to nod at Tom, who threw her a key of the room, to keep herself bursting to tears. _I really need to get a house of my own this is pathetic. _Seeing as the Ministry didn't put up their newest notice yet she could have went back to her parent's house tonight. But she couldn't could she, looking like that?

From early September, to ensure muggle safety on the demand of the new muggle prime minister, all apparitions from the wizarding to muggle community were strictly watched and recorded. This means that Hermione would have to walk through half a London to get a safe apparition point, apparate out of the town and walk further 30 minutes to get to her parent's new house. _I can't afford this waste of time. _Plus Hermione has long decided not to bother her parents or put them in any form of danger anymore. Still, she missed them. Somehow missed them more than she used to in Hogwarts. Probably because she had no one else to talk to. The hotel was quiet and smelled of mould and decay. _I miss Ginny. _No night at Hogwarts was ever quiet with her chirpy best friend.

As she was walking up the old stairs Hermione tried to remember a single time where her and Ron's relationship was perfect. All couples should have these moments. _All couples did, right? _Sighing and drying her eyes she sat down behind a fragile looking desk and laid down a piece of parchment and a quill. Everyone always expected them to get married. Get married and live happily ever after. _Doesn't work this way does it? _

_**Dear Ginny, **_

_No, scratch that. _

_**Hello Ginerva! : )  
><strong>_  
>As she started to write to her best friend Hermione immediately felt more relaxed. Ginny always had a strange soothing effect on her even though she wasn't with her.<p>

_**I miss you so, so much. I have no one else to talk to. Can't say I wouldn't love to go back to Hogwarts. Your dear brother is being a prick again. I know he has a right to be depressed but that doesn't give him the right to treat everyone else like dirt, does it? I hope you're coping okay.  
>You know the way relationships are meant to be all amazing and dreamy at the start and then eventually turn into a reality? That never happened to us. We started with rough fights and argument from the very start. I guess we don't have common ground. Sometimes I even wonder if my love for him wasn't affected by everyone else's expectations. We used to talk. Then we just slept with each other. Now we don't even do that! I really don't know what to do Ginny and I wish you were here to help me.<br>As if my life wasn't a mess enough I have to spend the rest of the year working as DRACO MALFOY'S secretary. What was Kinsley thinking? **_

_Honestly…what __was__ he thinking? _

_**I don't know how much I can take without hexing him to death. He's such an ass…hasn't changed one bit! I guess I'll have to talk to Harry about the whole Ron thing. Make him bang some sense into his dull head. **_

Hermione was careful to leave it at that knowing that Harry was still a sore subject. _Maybe time away from him will do her good. _Reading over her letter critically she just about resisted the urge to scrap it and start again. _Am I complaining too much? _Ginny sure wasn't used to get emotionally filled letters from Hermione but right now she needed someone to tell everything to.

_**I hope to see you very soon. Miss you greatly.  
>- Hermione xo. <strong>_

'Pixie!' her peach coloured owl flied in quietly and stood motionlessly on the desk, awaiting the letter to be attached. 'You're a start. If only everyone was this thoughtful' sleepily she watched as Pixie slowly disappeared into the night sky. _Better get some sleep…tomorrow's going to be a long, long day. _

*CRASH*

Harry Potter shot up in his bed. _What was that? _'Ron? You up?' _Dammit. _Putting his glasses on he took the wand from his night stand and crept out of bed. _No one can possibly be here…this house is under an anti-apparition charm. _Trying to regain control he walked over to the window and back before stopping abruptly at the door. _Someone is walking downstairs. _Raising his wand Harry tiptoed out of his room into the room next to it. Sudden shivers went down his spine as he saw Ron lying in his bed. Evidently asleep. 'Shit. Ron, wake up!' The sleeping body didn't move an inch as Harry shook it hastily. Angry he went out of the room and silently sneaked down the stairs, avoiding creaking. As he stepped in he lit the whole room. His back against the door and wand upright aiming at an empty couch. Walking towards the kitchen he put his wand down embarrassed at his overreaction to what now proved to be his imagination. Yawing he paced up the stairs and into his room, towards the bed. Setting down his glasses he felt his blood freeze in his veins, the coldness sneaking from the tips of his fingers right to his chest. There on his still warm and messed bed was a neat piece of parchment with words fixating Harry's stunned eyes.

**IT ISN'T OVER JUST YET.**

It wasn't until a loud bang, with which the open window closed, that Harry snapped back into reality and put the note into the lowest drawer of his nightstand.

The rest of the night Harry Potter didn't sleep. Awful memories always invaded his thoughts at the point of drifting to sleep. At 5.30 he got up and got a cold shower to perk him up. As he got downstairs the house showed no signs of an intruder being there last night. The room was neat and the books were piled up in the corner. Making himself coffee he sat in deadly silence recollecting the events of last night. By 7.50 he decided that it was nothing and most likely a practical joke by the Weasley Fun Shop and apparated outside the Ministry. The reception was full of happy looking wizards and witches sitting or standing around, drinking coffee and waiting for the start of their work hours. Harry quickly scanned the room in search of a familiar face –_Or that face of a special someone- _and upon not seeing anyone he walked down to the second level to meet Kingsley in his office as instructed.

Hour and a half later Hermione Granger woke up with a terrified gasp. _It is well past nine, dammit! _Jumping off the bed and scrambling for her clothes she got dressed in a record time before collecting all her belongings and throwing them in a large bag. _I'm gonna have to get that house today. And talk to Harry. _She quickly checked for pixie in case Ginny has managed to reply to her letter and ran down the stairs, apparating as close to the ministry entrance as she could once outside. Hurrying down the long lifeless corridor leading to her office she barely notice the tall black haired boy smiling down at her as she passed him.

The room has looked exactly as she left it. With a relieved chuckle she peeped into Malfoy's office. _Looks like Malfoy won't be big on timing. _Tired she used her wand to produce a cup and poured fresh coffee into it. Sinking into her chair she noticed an extra sheet on her table.

**Here is the confirmation of an introduction to a new Law as decided by the Ministry of Magic, Second Floor, Department of Magical Law Reinforcement decided on the 1****st ****of September:**

"**No witch or wizard is to use a method of apparition to transport from wizarding community to a muggle community without a pre-signed permission from the prime minister."**

"**All the above mentioned apparitions will be closely watched by the department of magical Transportation, Level 6 and will be punished as any other violation of Law."**

"**Please not that that methods including the Floo network or any form of flying has not yet been prohibited, however it would be mostly appreciated if these could be minimalized and wizards and witches used muggle transportation to the muggle community"**

**Thank You, Shacklebolt Kingsley. **

Below Kingsley were six another names and five signatures. Draco Malfoy, Magical Law Reinforcement was left blank. Cringing Hermione swept the page and set it on Malfoy's perfectly polished table. _No wonder it's so clean, looks like he rarely uses it. _Realizing she has nothing to do she pulled out the awaited book and once more dived into the secrets of becoming an Animagus.

Harry Potter smiled faintly as Cho Chang entered the room looking around nervously due to her late arrival. 'I'm really sorry for being late' she smiled apologetically, her face exhausted. 'No worries, Kingsley didn't show up either.' Looking at the clock he added 'It's been well over an hour'

Cho bit her lip somewhat knowingly and sat down next to Harry. _Too close. _Within ten minutes time Kingsley marched into the office, his expression cold and eyes angry. Upon seeing his two students sitting in the corner, surprised look plastered on their faces his features softened. 'My apologies, I had quite a rough morning. I know this does not excuse me, but I really am sorry' He stood in the middle of room and his robes wearing what appeared to be muggle clothes underneath.

Worried at Kingsley's appearance Harry couldn't help but wonder 'everything alright minister?' Cho has shifted nervously and gave Harry a suggestive look. When it was obvious he didn't catch on she spoke up and the worlds pierced him like a spear 'Is it about the burglar minister?'

'What burglar?' Harry snapped causing Cho to jump up slightly. 'I mean, I haven't heard about any of this' he asked now calmly. 'Well there has been someone breaking into houses of Ministry people, obviously looking for something' eyeing Harry up suspiciously he added 'it has been going on since the start of summer Harry' _Why have I never heard about this? _Seeing as it was probably best to keep quiet Harry leaned back into his chair silently. Cho on the other seemed more excited than ever 'who was it this time minister?'

After a moment of silence Shacklebolt Kingsley breathed uneasily. 'Myself'

Five minutes to five Hermione Granger was feeling far more positive about her life than earlier in the morning. Malfoy hasn't turned up all day and neither has anyone else. _Looks like this will be pretty easy. _After she decided to just leave the piece of parchment on Malfoy's desk she spend the next few hours rearranging the book shelves -_I'm not going to call those few shelves a library_- and studying her new favourite book. Becoming an Animagus was indeed a complicated procedure but something fascinated Hermione about the idea. _Plus it looks like I won't have anything else to do. _Before leaving her office she briefly looked into her office drawers under the label 'Animagi'. What the Department of Magical Law Reinforcement had was brief overview. _I could always try to get into the Animagus Registry office; it's on the same floor. _The form wasn't a hard one to fill out. There were few questions and three signatures. The Minister of Magic, the Animagus Registry Head and the head of Magical Law Reinforcement. _Malfoy. He'll never sign it. _As Hermione expected there was also a slip to be signed for borrowing the book out of the Magical Law Reinforcement library. _'library' They call a few shelves of books a library? _Walking out of the ministry she spun around and apparated to Diagon Alley. She decided to take the house close to Leaky Cauldron as it was the cheapest she could find.

Opening the dusty door, only roughly showing the number '15', the hall immediately lit up and a voice, coming out of nowhere, made Hermione jump. 'This is currently an unoccupied house and under safety protection charm. If you decide to rent this house please call for Mr Toman. Do not attempt to do any magic as Magical Law Reinforcement will be informed immediately'. _Yea I'm sure Malfoy would come running. _'Em, Mr Toman?' bang. _I have to admit this is smart. _Hermione laughed as a small, old, bearded wizard appeared in the door frame. Slightly confused by Hermione's reaction he walked in and coughed heavily, the dust irritating his lungs. 'Good afternoon Miss Granger' he bowed slightly. Hermione noted that for such a fragile looking wizard his voice sounded firm and loud. 'I am very pleased to meet you' he smiled warmly before uncertainly looking around the house 'Are you really sure you want this house?' The disgusted look on his face made Hermione chuckle. 'Yes I am sure' _it's not all that bad anyway. _'Okay. It shall be yours. A grey big owl, name Bell, will come every month to collect the money and won't leave until it gets it. Unless you would prefer to settle this through Gringotts?' _I guess not, pretty sure they wouldn't be too happy to same there again. _'No that will be fine, thank you Mr Toman' Smiling politely she slowly motioned towards the door her mind already concentrating on what to do about this mess of a house to make it acceptable. 'If you shall ever need my presence, decide to leave the house or require anything just send me an owl' he bowed again and disapparated.

Looking around Hermione was standing in a square, tiny room with wooden and dangerous looking stairs. _This will take few days' worth of work._ The front door was by far the best kept part of the house. On the left she noticed couple of dusty and to Hermione unfamiliar people in frames. On the right was an old cupboard with a heavy black door next to it, leading to what seemed to be a kitchen. As it eventually turned out the kitchen was the biggest room in the house. It was a long rectangle behind which was situated another mini room containing a single piece of furniture. _A dust covered sofa. Great. _Sighing heavily Hermione walked upstairs. With even less furniture she found two bedrooms and a rusty bathroom. _Jeez this doesn't look unoccupied, more like a house of pigs. _Instinctively Hermione picked the smaller bedroom, not even looking into the other one. She always preferred cosy rooms. They gave her a strange sense of safety. Exhausted she took her wand out to change the sheets on the surprisingly well looking bed before collapsing onto it. The deadly silence made Hermione uncomfortable. As her mind was flooded with images of her parents as she tried to remember the last time she was this alone before falling asleep.

'Minister did they em, find anything?' Harry acquired as Kinsley entered the practise room he left Harry and Cho in 4 hours ago to practise protection shields. 'No I believe they didn't as not a single place was left unsearched. However I do not know what you were looking for, if that's what you were asking Harry.' Turning slightly red Harry sat down. 'Minister, do you know who they might be?' Cho breathed quietly almost whispering. _I have no idea why she is so excited by this. _A stern look from Kingsley stopped the flood of questions on Cho's mind. 'I do not know and it is really none of your worries Miss Chang' picking paperwork off his table he concluded with giving them tomorrow free, leaving Harry with a full weekend to see Mrs Weasley as he promised.


End file.
